Langston Hughes' story about Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger is a message of kindness, sympathy and trust. Set in the 1950s, during the incident between our two characters, Hughes demonstrates forgiveness, compassion and second chances. In “Thank You, Ma’am,” Hughes conveys his message with an intensity of forgiveness and sympathy. Roger attempts to steal his wallet, and having every reason to take this boy to the police, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones does not do so. After asking a few questions, she discovers that he doesn't have anyone to take him home either. In any case, out of sympathy and forgiveness, she meets Roger with empathy, even going so far as to trust him and invite him to her home. She also discovers that he hasn't eaten dinner and that Roger has probably been hungry for a while. When Mrs. Jones treats Roger with such kindness, instead of needing to see him punished, he is shocked. As readers, we are encouraged to think about how a person who makes a mistake can become a criminal or create worse situations for their life, when no one is there to guide them toward better future choices. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As we read this story, Hughes connects the two characters for us. Roger's vacant house leaves him alone with no one to positively influence him and Mrs. Jones steps in and becomes that missing role model. He tells her that he didn't mean to steal from her and this shows his remorse by apologizing. She herself, after making mistakes in her life, wants to give him a second chance. Mrs. Jones shows compassion by understanding the situation Roger finds himself in. She asks, “Don’t you have someone at home to wash your face?” ", he replies "No", she also notices that his face is so dirty and decides that she is going to take him home and wash his face herself. After arriving at Mrs. Jones's house, she shares her dinner with him and hopes that he will not run away. This must be better for Roger instead of just throwing him in jail. Her situation would be worse there, she thought. Yet another lesson we can learn is to be kind to each other and take care of ourselves. In the incident between Mrs. Jones and Roger, she could have simply called the police, causing Roger even bigger problems. Instead, she took responsibility for teaching him how to be decent and trustworthy. It leads us to believe that we can make a difference in the lives of others if we refuse to act on fear alone. My pastor, Jesse, once preached about forgiveness and giving people second chances. He kept having things stolen from his garden; his tools, his bicycles, his children's toys and even his surfboards were confiscated. During this period of theft, he became cold and angry with his community. “Why should I trust anyone,” he thought. After weeks of anger, he prayed and reflected on the anger he felt. Jesse told us that we never know the circumstances people are in and that we shouldn't pass judgment when we don't truly understand that person's situation. They could have stolen to feed their families and felt they had no other choice. I believe Hughes conveys his message the same way my pastor does. When Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is wronged by Roger, she gives him a second chance. As she leads him to the door, he barely lets out a "Thank you Madam", so..